text:
Disney’s dominance of copyright law prevails as only the ‘Steamboat Willie’ version of Mickey Mouse enters public domain
December 25, 2023 | by stockcoin.net
Disney’s long-standing dominance of copyright law is set to be reaffirmed as only the original 1928 version of Mickey Mouse, known as “Steamboat Willie,” enters the public domain. While this expiration grants free use of the mischievous boat captain character, Disney will continue to safeguard its rights to the more modern iterations of Mickey and its other copyrighted creations. The significance of this event raises questions about what specific aspects of a character’s personality or features can be copyrighted. Notably, Disney still maintains a trademark on Mickey as a corporate mascot and brand identifier. Additionally, this development allows other notable works, like Charlie Chaplin’s “Circus” and Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando,” to enter the public domain in the US. However, the US copyright term remains longer than that of many other countries, impeding certain works from joining the public domain. As a result, there is a growing push for copyright extensions to be reconsidered and advocacy for a broader public domain. One potential solution being considered is the adoption of the rule of the shorter term by Congress to facilitate the entry of more works into the public domain.
Disney’s dominance of copyright law prevails as only the ‘Steamboat Willie’ version of Mickey Mouse enters public domain.
The 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie’ will soon enter the public domain
In a significant development in the world of copyright law, the iconic 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie’ featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse is set to enter the public domain in the near future. This comes as a result of the expiration of the film’s copyright, which will allow for the use of the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, a cultural icon loved by millions around the world.
Expiration of the ‘Steamboat Willie’ copyright allows use of the earliest version of Mickey Mouse
With the expiration of the copyright on ‘Steamboat Willie,’ the original mischievous boat captain version of Mickey Mouse will now be available for use by creative artists and enthusiasts. This marks a significant moment not only for Disney but also for fans of the character who will now have the opportunity to explore and reimagine Mickey Mouse in ways that were previously barred due to copyright restrictions.
Current versions of Mickey will remain under copyright protection
While the earliest version of Mickey Mouse from ‘Steamboat Willie’ will be entering the public domain, it is crucial to note that the current versions of the beloved character will still be protected by copyright law. This means that the more recent and popular iterations of Mickey, such as those seen in modern films and television shows, will remain under the exclusive ownership of Disney.
Disney will continue protecting rights to modern versions of Mickey and other works
As Disney’s flagship character and a cornerstone of their brand, it is understandable that the company will continue to fiercely protect the rights to the modern versions of Mickey Mouse. Alongside their copyright protection of Mickey, Disney will also safeguard their ownership of other works, ensuring that their valuable creative assets remain under their control.
Questions raised about copyrightability of character’s personality or features
The expiration of the copyright on ‘Steamboat Willie’ raises intriguing questions about the copyrightability of a character’s personality or features. While the specific storyline and artistic elements of the film may be protected by copyright, it is debatable whether the essence of a character, such as Mickey Mouse’s mischievous nature or his recognizable physical appearance, can be subject to copyright protection. This gray area presents an interesting challenge for copyright scholars and experts to explore.
Disney still holds trademark on Mickey as corporate mascot and brand identifier
Although the copyright on ‘Steamboat Willie’ will no longer prevent others from using the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, Disney still holds a trademark on the character as a corporate mascot and brand identifier. This means that any commercial use of Mickey Mouse, particularly in connection with products or services that may cause confusion with Disney’s brand, remains protected and subject to trademark laws.
Other works, like Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Circus’ and Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando,’ also entering the public domain in the US
The entry of ‘Steamboat Willie’ into the public domain is not an isolated incident. Several other works, including Charlie Chaplin’s iconic film ‘Circus’ and Virginia Woolf’s novel ‘Orlando,’ will also be entering the public domain in the United States. This expansion of the public domain ensures greater access to cultural works and encourages creativity by removing certain restrictions on their use.
US copyright term longer than other countries, preventing certain works from entering public domain
One of the key factors that influenced the entry of ‘Steamboat Willie’ into the public domain is the duration of copyright protection in the United States. Compared to some other countries, the copyright term in the US is longer, which has the potential to prevent certain works from entering the public domain in a timely manner. This disparity in copyright terms has sparked discussions around harmonizing copyright laws globally to ensure a fair balance between the rights of creators and the availability of works for the public.
Pushback against copyright extensions and advocacy for the public domain
The extension of copyright terms in recent years has faced criticism and pushback from various groups advocating for the preservation and expansion of the public domain. These groups argue that extended copyright terms stifle creativity and limit access to knowledge and cultural heritage. The entry of ‘Steamboat Willie’ and other works into the public domain serves as a victory for those who support a broader and more inclusive public domain.
Congress could adopt the rule of the shorter term to bring more works into the public domain
To address the issue of copyright term disparities and to bring more works into the public domain, there has been a proposal for Congress to adopt the rule of the shorter term. This rule would enable works that have entered the public domain in their home countries due to the expiration of copyright protection to also enter the public domain in the United States, regardless of the length of protection granted by US copyright law. Such a measure would promote cultural exchange and enrichment by ensuring that valuable works from around the world are accessible to the public.
In conclusion, the imminent entry of the ‘Steamboat Willie’ version of Mickey Mouse into the public domain marks a significant development for copyright law. While the original incarnation of Mickey will now be free to reimagine and reinterpret, Disney will continue to protect their rights to the more modern versions of the beloved character. This development also raises important questions about the copyrightability of a character’s personality or features, and the need to harmonize copyright terms globally to ensure a balanced and accessible public domain. As discussions continue in the world of copyright, the public eagerly awaits the day when more cultural treasures find their place in the public domain, fostering creativity and enriching our collective cultural heritage.


text:
Even as cruisers hope that they might be able to get on a ship by the end of 2020, at least one popular destination is questioning whether its port will open at all in 2021. Unfortunately, because that port is the one located in Victoria, British Columbia, it could have an incredibly far-reaching impact, especially when it comes to the 2021 Alaska cruise season.
Why The Port May Remain Closed
Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbor Authority, expressed his concerns last week. According to Saanich News, the fact that parts of the world in general — and the United States in particular — have struggled to get the current health crisis under control are raising red flags. As a result, Robertson is unsure what to expect moving forward.
“In the spring, I felt positive about cruising returning in some form or another in 2021,” he admitted. “I have a little bit more cautious optimism as we speak.”
Before the port can welcome back ships, he added, “A lot needs to change.”
While nobody is saying the 2021 season won’t happen, Robertson is clearly taking a “wait and see” approach while keeping an eye on developments around the world. “I think we’ll get a good sense of what the cruise season will look like and what protocols they put in place once they start sailing again,” he said.
How Far-Reaching the Port’s Decision Really Is
Shortly after the industry-wide shutdown in March, Canada put a ban in place for all large ships. Until and unless this ban is lifted, it has the effect of shutting down a large swath of Alaska-bound sailings. Why? Because many set sail from ports such as Seattle, using a stop in Victoria to fulfill the requirement that foreign-flagged ships sailing from U.S. ports much visit another country before returning home.
The extended closure already has had a massive impact on Victoria’s economy. The port expected to welcome around 300 ships and more than 800,000 passengers in 2020 alone, which would have pumped somewhere in the vicinity of $130 million into the local economy. The harbor, too, is suffering major losses, given that it is not taking in the per-passenger fees it uses to fund local amenities.

domain: news


text:
U.S. Mint boosting Golden Dollar coin for pocket change
WASHINGTON -- Who gives a flip about the Golden Dollar coin?
Not enough Americans. At least not yet. Rather than circulating, too many millions of the shiny new Sacagawea dollars are languishing in dresser drawers or federal bank vaults 16 months after their introduction.
That's why the U.S. Mint is in the midst of a $50 million-plus advertising and promotional campaign to get the golden-colored coin into pockets, purses, parking meters, cash registers, vending machines and subway turnstiles.
"We're working on getting it into the hands of people," said Jay W. Johnson, director of the Mint. "We want them to use the coin as change."
Soon, a Mint official will grab a spatula at an Alexandria, Va., restaurant as the International House of Pancakes renames its "Silver Dollar Pancakes" the "Golden Dollar Pancakes" in another of the promotional efforts. IHOP restaurants will also start handing out the dollar coin in change.
The Mint has similar arrangements with Safeway and Wal-Mart and Dollar Stores and other retailers. The U.S. Postal Service gives Golden Dollars (actually an alloy of manganese and brass) in change from stamp machines. Parking meters accept them in Philadelphia, Chicago, Fort Worth and, soon, Minneapolis-St. Paul. The New York City subway system, the nation's largest, uses Golden Dollars.
"We have 700 million in circulation out of just over a billion made," said Johnson.
Because the coin came out in the millennial year 2000 and was a dramatically different color, many people "liked it so much" that they kept the coins rather than spending them, he said. Another stumbling block to retail circulation is that many cash registers don't have a place for dollar coins.
"But we think we're on target on Americans accepting and using the new dollar coin," Johnson declared.
Still, most Americans who buy and sell stuff every day rarely, if ever, encounter one.
"I travel a lot, but other than at coin shows or the Post Office vending machines, I've never received one in change," said David Sundman, president of Littleton Coin Co. in Littleton, N.H., one of the nation's largest coin dealers.
"While the coin itself is very attractive and the Mint has done a good job in promoting it, I'm afraid it's doomed to failure as a circulating coin unless they eliminate the dollar bill," said Sundman.
Sundman and other advocates of the Golden Dollar point out that Australia, Canada and England did away with their one-dollar and one-pound notes when they successfully introduced new coins of the same denomination.
Those countries "learned from our mistake with the Susan B. Anthony" dollar coin, which never caught hold after its ballyhooed 1979 launch, Sundman said.
However, even the most ardent Golden Dollar supporters know Congress is unlikely to abolish the dollar bill anytime soon.


text:
7-Eleven Taiwan operator President Chain Store Corporation has opened its second unstaffed X-store in Taipei.
Located in Xinyi District, the store recognises customers by facial-recognition card or iCash 2.0 card.
There is also an intelligent ATM machine using fingerprint and facial recognition technologies, allowing customers to deposit small change and withdraw foreign currencies, project management department chief Hsu Yi-hsiung said.
The first X-Store opened on the first floor of the company’s headquarters in January, targeting the large crowds of white-collar workers and students in the area.
The number of customers at the first X-Store increased 50 per cent over six months, Hsu said.
With the growing convergence of online and offline, automated shops such as the X-Store enhance customer expectations, while improving in-store service and automating supply chain and real-time inventory management.


text:
Chinese manufacturer Vivo has launched the first smartphone with a higher-than-1080p resolution display. The Vivo XPlay 3S took center stage at an event in Beijing which put Samsung’s Galaxy S4 launch to shame, it even including an on-stage fighting sequence with flashy effects projected onto huge wraparound screens, but even this couldn’t eclipse the phone’s amazing 6-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel touchscreen.
Over the past months, several companies have shown off pre-production versions of these 1440p displays, but this is the first time one has been fitted to a smartphone. The display is huge in just about every way, as in addition to the size and pixel count, the pixel density comes in a 490ppi. That’s more than the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, and while we’ve been seeing higher figures quoted in relation to 1440p screens, the XPlay 3S’s screen size is slightly larger than those demoed earlier this year.
How about the rest of the XPlay 3S? Well, it’s powered by a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and has 3GB of RAM, just like the Galaxy Note 3, plus there is 32GB of built-in storage space. The body is made of metal and at its thinnest point, measures a mere 4.5mm thick. It weighs 172 grams overall. Other features include a 13-megapixel camera, 4G LTE connectivity, and a choice of black or white color shells.
Like the iPhone 5S and the HTC One Max, the Vivo Xplay 3S also has a fingerprint sensor fitted. It’s mounted just below the flash unit on the back of the device, and can be used to unlock the phone. The screen resolution isn’t the only new tech debuting inside the XPlay 3S, as audio experts DTS have fitted the new DTS Headphone X audio chip, which provides cinema-style surround sound to match the cinema-style display.
Unfortunately, Vivo doesn’t sell its smartphones internationally, so we’re unlikely to get our hands on this unique device; but that’s doesn’t mean we won’t be getting our own 1440p devices soon. The prime candidate to introduce the next level of smartphone screen tech to us is Samsung, and it could do so with the Galaxy S5 early next year. In the meantime, we can only look on with envious eyes at the Vivo XPlay 3S.
- Now it’s just getting silly: Vivo rumored to make a 3.8mm thick smartphone
- To 1440p and beyond! A look at the insane future of smartphone screens


text:
Hyundai i30N was recently leaked giving us some information for the upcoming model, now thanks to AutoHerald we are seeing these images from the presentation.
Recent footage of the Hyundai I30 N Performance has many people raising eyebrows at what looks to be a really fun car.
Hyundai Motor today unleashed its latest high-performance N concept with the world premiere of RN30 at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The motorsport-inspired racing concept is developed to deliver passion and pleasure on the track for everybody.
Hyundai RN30 Concept is the one step closer to finally see Hyundai’s new sub brand, N Performance, become a reality.
After so many pictures of many different i30 models, we finally get to see the production vehicle of the new i30 N Performance model made with the help of Albert Biermann.


text:
Stocks Close Mixed; Apple Puts Dent in Nasdaq
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Major U.S. stock averages traded mixed Thursday afternoon as better-than-expected U.S. economic indicators failed to push the Nasdaq back into positive territory amid Apple's(AAPL) sharp price decline.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 46 points, or 0.33%, at 13,825.
Breadth was positive, as winners outpaced losers 19 to nine. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Walt Disney (DIS) were unchanged. The biggest percentage blue-chip gainers were Cisco(CSCO) , Home Depot(HD) , DuPont(DD) , Dupont(DD) and Boeing(BA) .
Boeing shares rose 1.4%. Delta(DAL) is talking to Airbus and Boeing about buying $1 billion or more of new jets as planemakers phase out their current single-aisle models, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Delta shares climbed 0.94%.
Software giant Microsoft is expected by analysts Thursday to report fiscal second-quarter earnings of 75 cents a share on revenue of $21.6 billion after the closing bell. Shares were up incrementally ahead of the announcement.
3M (MMM) , the diversified technology company, posted in-line fourth-quarter earnings of $1.41 a share and revenue of $7.4 billion, which beat the Wall Street sales estimate of $7.18 billion. Organic local-currency sales grew 4.3% in the period, and acquisitions added 0.9% to sales. The stock added 0.23% a share on Thursday.
3M affirmed its 2013 full-year performance earnings expectations of $6.70 to $6.95 a share, with CEO Inge Thulin saying that 3M has "built good momentum to innovate and move forward in 2013."
Most sectors in the broader market were trading higher except for technology and basic materials. The strongest sectors were consumer cyclicals, transportation, health care, financials and conglomerates.


text:
Ecolab CEO Honored by Harvard Business ReviewNovember 6, 2019
Douglas Baker Jr., CEO and chairman of Ecolab Inc., has been named to the Harvard Business Review’s 2019 list of the Best-Performing CEOs in the World.
Baker placed 38th on the magazine’s annual index, which ranks the top 100 CEOs of companies in the S&P Global 1200 based on financial performance, and environmental and social initiatives. This marks the fifth consecutive year Baker has been included in Harvard Business Review’s list.
With annual sales of US$15 billion and more than 49,000 associates, Ecolab Inc. specializes in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety, and infection prevention products and services in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit www.ecolab.com.


text:
Snapchat is using machine learning to introduce greater targeting to its ad stack
Snapchat will allow those advertisers buying ads from third parties to use machine learning to better determine which users are most likely to swipe on which type of ad.
Snapchat unveils update to its ad technology
Goal-based bidding allows advertisers who buy through the mobile messaging app’s fledgling application programming interface (API) to set goals on their campaigns beyond just impressions on ads.
While advertisers will continue to be charged on impressions, the update takes into account users who engage further with ads through ‘swipe ups’, which can redirect users to an app install page, webview, or long-form video content, and gives advertisers the option to assign value to trade on this on a CPM basis.
The aim is to allow advertisers to generate swipes more cost-effectively by reducing wasted impressions and increase the amount of time people spend on ads by serving them to users who are most likely to swipe on a certain type of ad. The feature optimizes bidding and delivery to those users automatically through its machine learning capabilities.
Goal-based bidding launched earlier this month and one-in-five (20%) of those advertisers using its API have used it. It’s a small update that comes in the wake of reports that advertisers are concerned by the average time their ads are being viewed by. A recent AdAge report claimed that the average viewing time for one unnamed advertiser was less than three seconds.
Snapchat has doubled down its adtech capabilities in the past year to give advertisers more control over campaigns in the app and better measurement as it attempts to compete with the might of Facebook and its sophisticated ad stack.


text:
2019-04-12 Extinction Rebellion: Circus of Excess
20 images Created 12 Apr 2019
London, UK. 12th April 2019. Climate campaigners from Extinction Rebellion take over Oxford Circus, the heart of London’s shopping district, to host a catwalk by sustainable fashion brands and art and fashion students to draw attention to the impact of unsustainable fashion and as part of a protest to call on the Government to take urgent action to address climate change.


text:
Dishing up a tasty treat was St Mungo’s High School pupil Eve Cattanach.
The 12-year-old beat budding chefs from across Scotland with her ‘Scotch Bonnet’ recipe for a Commonwealth Burger.
She had reached the final three and yesterday was at the Royal Highland Show to take part in the cook off at the Quality Meat Scotland stand.
The judges said all three were delicious but said Eve’s effort was “delicious, healthy and very Scottish”.
Now burgers made from her recipe will be on sale in Scotch Butcher Club members shops across the country in the run up to the Commonwealth Games.
Eve, of Shieldhill, also won a £250 voucher for her school to spend on quality Scotch beef, lamb and pork.


text:
Chinese EV maker Kandi enters US with launch of EX3 and K22 electric vehicles
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Kandi has recently marked its official foray into the US market, with the launch of two new EVs --- the EX3 all-electric SUV, and the K22 subcompact electric car. Both the EVs were launched by Kandi in Texas last week.
The move by Kandi makes it the latest Chinese EV maker to enter the US market. The EX3 and K22 EVs recently launched by the automaker in Texas are the ‘updated for US’ versions of both the EVs which are already available in China. The pricing and the expected US availability timeline for the two EVs have not yet been disclosed by Kandi.
Kandi is closely linked to Chinese automaker Geely. As part of its preparation to enter the US market, Kandi had acquired Texas-based ATV dealer and distributor Sportsman Country earlier in 2018. The EX3 and K22 have been launched by Kandi in Texas in partnership with Sportsman Country.
About the US launch of EX3 and K22, Kandi CEO Hu Xiaoming said that both the EVs are expected to be “very competitive in America.”
Xiaoming also asserted that the US launch of the EX3 and K22 is a result of the “efficiency and diligence in our technical staff and US sales team,” and added: “It took our team less than a month to complete the upgrades necessary to comply with US standards. We will continue our efforts to expand our US market.”
Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has recently released a new image of its forthcoming Model Y all-electric compact SUV. The image, in the form of a design sketch, was released by the automaker at its shareholder meeting held recently.
In an indication that Tesla’s Model S and Model X high-end electric luxury cars may soon be challenged by a potential competitor, Porsche has announced its first purely-electric sports car --- the ‘Taycan.’
In a recent disclosure by Nissan hinting at a high demand for its new LEAF electric vehicle (EV), the Japanese automaker has revealed that the orders for the new LEAF in Europe have reached 37,000 units.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently confirmed the timing for the launch of the electric vehicle manufacturer’s powerful new fast charger, the Supercharger V3.
US electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk shared some interesting information about the automaker’s upcoming products last week, saying that the pickup truck is his ‘favorite next Tesla product.’ The statement was made by Musk during Te
In an announcement made via a recent press release this week, Utah-based startup Nikola Motors -- which develops electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell trucks -- said that it has secured a new funding of $100 million for bringing its vehic


text:
End-of-year retail sales will be down by 4% (real) compared to 2008, which was itself down 1% on 2007. Or so says Business Day in an early preview of the Christmas shopping season. The forecast, from Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation, is backed up by recent retail figures and plain common sense, given increasing joblessness and continued nervousness among consumers. Even a 50 basis-point interest rate cut this week, the maximum expected by a minority of economists, won’t have much impact on sentiment. Read more: Business Day
While we have your attention...
An increasingly rare commodity, quality independent journalism costs money - though not nearly as much as its absence.
Every article, every day, is our contribution to Defending Truth in South Africa. If you would like to join us on this mission, you could do much worse than support Daily Maverick's quest by becoming a Maverick Insider.
Click here to become a Maverick Insider and get a closer look at the Truth.
Adolf Hitler was the first European leader to ban human zoos.


text:
China's Alibaba has made more than $3.9bn (£2.bn) in sales in the first hour of Singles' Day in China, the world's biggest online shopping event.
The figure is almost double the $2bn spent in the same time period of the retail giant's sales event last year.
Singles' Day, also known as "Double Eleven" because its held on 11 November, has become a major annual event for Chinese retailers.
Alibaba said more than $1bn was spent within the first eight minutes.
In the latest update on its news website Alizila, the company said that its gross merchandise volume (GMV) had hit $6.5bn.
That is already more than half the record amount of $9.3bn in sales it made last year, putting it on track to create new record.
In comparison, sales on Cyber Monday, which is the biggest online shopping day in the US, hit $1.35bn, according to ComScore.


text:
2nd Best News of the Week for Environment?
Posted by msrb on October 10, 2008
The global auto market faces an “outright collapse” in 2009
General economic stress and credit availability may lead to an “outright collapse” of the auto market in 2009, J.D. Power and Associates, an industry tracking company said.
“J.D. Power and Associates forecast U.S. light vehicle sales would fall to 13.2 million units in 2009 after likely settling at 13.6 million units this year, adding that a pronounced recovery is more than 18 months away.” Reuters reported.
A Chevrolet on display at an auto show in Shanghai – 2005 file photo. [newsphoto] Source: China Daily. Image may be subject to copyright.
“While the global automotive industry is clearly experiencing a slowdown in 2008, the global market in 2009 may experience an outright collapse,” said Jeff Schuster, executive director of automotive forecasting for J.D. Power.
“While mature markets are being impacted more severely than emerging markets, no country or region is completely immune to the turmoil,” he said.


text:
Sony Ericsson Slips Out CyberShot and Walkman Sliders
Today Sony Ericsson announced new handsets for its CyberShot and Walkman lines. Both phones are sliders that have quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, stereo Bluetooth, FM radios with RDS, and support Memory Stick Micro storage cards.
- C903a: This CyberShot phone has a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. It also has Sony Ericsson's, face detection, Smile Shutter and image stabilization software. Other features include tri-band UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100 (North American variant), aGPS and a 2.4-inch display. It will be available in select markets in the second quarter.
- W395: This Walkman phone has dedicated music controls and high-quality stereo speakers, a 2 megapixel camera, and supports motion gaming with an accelerometer. It will be boxed with a 1GB memory card and will be available in select markets starting in the first quarter.
Sony Xperia L1 to Hit North America in April
Sony today announced the Xperia L1, an Android smartphone that will reach American shores as soon as next month. The phone features a 5.5-inch 720p HD display and is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.
Xperia XA1 Plus Is An Affordable Sony Slab
Sony today announced the Xperia XA1 Plus, an update to last year's XA1. This media-focused phone features a metal build with a 5.5-inch full HD display.
Sony's Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact Let You Scan 3D Objects
Sony today announced the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact smartphones, two metal-clad flagships that pair novel features with classic Sony looks. The phones share nearly all specs and capabilities, with the XZ1 Compact downgrading only a few components due to its smaller size.
Kodak Ektra Is More Camera Than Phone
Bullitt Group today announced the Kodak Ektra, an Android smartphone that focuses on providing a steady camera experience. Bullitt is the company behind CAT phones and made another Kodak-branded phone earlier this year.


text:
Smart Communications inks deal to buy Assentis Technologies
Smart Communications, provider of a customer conversations management platform, has entered into an agreement to acquire Assentis, a European software solutions provider specializing in customer communications management (CCM) with a focus on the financial services industry.
Assentis’ CCM solution is currently used by more than 100 enterprises to generate critical documents, including client reports, fund fact sheets, product presentations, contracts and marketing collateral. Headquartered in Rotkreuz, Switzerland, the company can support interactive, batch and ad hoc use cases. Smart Communications plans to continue to support all Assentis products while also focusing on making its SaaS platform available throughout the region.
Through this proposed acquisition, Smart Communications can more effectively serve enterprises in the financial services industry and throughout continental Europe. In addition, current Assentis customers will be able to quickly take advantage of Smart Communications’ expertise in multi-tenant SaaS.
“We are poised to incorporate Assentis’ wealth of knowledge and capabilities in financial services into Smart Communications,” said James Brown, CEO of Smart Communications. “Already among the key industries we support, we recognized an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to help these firms cater to an increasingly digital-focused customer base. Through this acquisition we will be better equipped to support our growing financial services customer base around the world.”
For more information, go to smartcommunications.com and www.assentis.com.


text:
When we discuss the accessibility of EV charging infrastructure, the issue of rural areas is often raised. Are there enough charging hubs to serve EV drivers making a long-haul trip, or those who don’t live within metropolitan city limits?
Earlier this month, a hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture revealed a great deal of lingering apprehension in regards to the readiness of rural communities to embrace EVs. However, gas stations and convenience stores were presented as a possible solution.
“The companies that currently provide transportation energy to motorists are well positioned to play an important role in decarbonizing the transportation sector through the sale of cleaner liquid fuels and alternative technologies, such as electricity,” said Trevor Walter, the vice president of petroleum supply management for Sheetz, testifying before Congress earlier this month. “We want to partner with Congress to help achieve environmental goals in a market-oriented and consumer-friendly manner.”
Notably, fuel retailers have 150,000 locations across the U.S. and, according to the testimony, 93 per cent of Americans live within 10 minutes of a fuel-retailing location. More notably, in rural areas, convenience stores operate more as a central hub for food, groceries, and supplies. If outfitted to provide EV charging stations, gas stations and convenience stores could be an incredibly effective remedy to range anxiety.
This could also double as a solution for EV drivers living in the city who rent apartments that don’t have EV charging available.
Further, convenience store operators are asking that “federal money be awarded to private-sector operators who are putting their own capital at risk”, as well as the availability of consideration of wholesale rates and reform of demand charges.
While this discussion is currently happening in the American market, this presents an idea that could help to further establish Canada’s EV charging infrastructure across both cities and rural areas, if explored.


text:
2K’s WWE 2K20 has yet to receive an official announcement, but we’re sure to get a reveal at any point now. For now though, we’ve amassed a handy guide of all the details we’ve heard on the wrestling title so far, and will be updating it regularly with all the info you need on WWE 2K20.
A full unveiling of the game is expected to take place on August 5, 2019.
WWE 2K20 FAQ – Everything You Need To Know
WWE 2K20 Media
The first screenshots for WWE 2K20 have been released – catch them here!
WWE 2K20 Moves
2K has not detailed any of the WWE 2K20 moves yet, but we’ll update this when we hear something official.
WWE 2K20 Modes
We’ve heard that the WWE 2K20 Showcase Mode will feature Renee Young on commentary, who is reportedly being lined up to replace Byron Saxton. We can assume that other modes will be returning for the game, but at the time of writing, nothing official has been announced.
In addition, 2K has gotten serious flak from gamers for not including women in the Showcase mode in the past, so that is an area that is almost certainly going to change this year. There’s also a case to be made for featuring female wrestlers in the career mode, which would make a lot of sense.
WWE 2K20 Roster
2K has confirmed the following wrestlers for WWE 2K20.
- Becky Lynch
- Roman Reigns
- Hulk Hogan
- Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
- The Miz
- Brock Lesnar
- Sasha Banks
- Papa Shango
- Braun Strohmann
- Nia Jax
- Angelo Dawkins
- Montez Ford
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE 2K20 Cover Star
2K confirmed on August 5 that Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns will grace the cover of WWE 2K20.
WWE 2K20 Release Date
A leaked trailer on August 5 confirmed that WWE 2K20 will launch on October 22, 2019.
WWE 2K20 Collector’s Edition
It’s been suggested that 2K are manufacturing a Collector’s Edition for WWE 2K20, following an Instagram post by Kurt Angle revealed him signing 10,000 autographs with the 2K logo on them.
While that’s not an official confirmation by any means, previous WWE titles have featured signed autographs by the superstar associated with the Collector’s Edition. With that in mind, Kurt Angle could be this year’s focus for the special edition release.
It’s since been revealed that 2K is planning a SmackDown! 20th Anniversary Edition of WWE 2K20.
Related Content – 27 WWE Games – The Best And Worst Wrestling Games Ever


text:
Gameforge acquires majority stake in Frogster, seeks to seal ownership
German publisher Gameforge has acquired a 60 per cent stake in MMO publisher Frogster Interactive Pictures, also based in Germany, with an eye towards a takeover bid of the company at a share price of 25 Euros.
Gameforge has stated that it intends to sustain Frogster as an independent company, with its management team intact. Roughly 25 per cent of Frogster remains free float, with 15 per cent in possession of the company management.
Frogster is set to make an appearance at GamesCom, taking place this August in Cologne, where it will show its upcoming MMO titles Mythos and Tera.


text:
8 NEW JOBS AS COSTA OPENS IN SALFORD SHOPPING CENTRE
2nd July 2017
Staff and shoppers at Salford Shopping Centre were in high spirits on Saturday 1st July as Ceremonial Mayor, Councillor Peter Connor, officially launched the new Costa Coffee shop.
Cllr Connor cut the ceremonial ribbon and welcomed the coffee shop’s first customers, alongside centre manager at Salford Shopping Centre, Sabri Marsaoui and Costa store manager, Greta Albenova.
The much-anticipated store arrival has created XX jobs for local residents, as well as broadening the offer to local shoppers at Salford Shopping Centre, whose anchor stores currently include Argos, Boots and Wilko.
Sabri Marsaoui, Centre Manager, said: “We are delighted to welcome Costa to our close-knit community in Salford Shopping Centre.
“We always strive to attract exciting new retailers to the centre and the addition of a brilliant brand like Costa is great news for the centre. We wish Greta and her team the very best of luck.”
Greta Albenova, Store Manager at Costa, added: “We’re so pleased that Cllr Connor was able to join us and formally open our new store today. We are looking forward to embedding ourselves as part of the community in Salford and can’t wait for local residents to enjoy the Costa experience with us.”
The new store, which is situated on Pendleton Way in Salford Shopping Centre, will be open 7am to 6:30pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 6pm on Sundays.
Cllr Connor said: “I am honoured to be opening this new Costa coffee shop. The new store has already created jobs for local people and it will now provide another reason for visitors to come to Salford Shopping Centre and take advantage of all that it has to offer.”
For more information on upcoming events and offers please visit http://salfordshoppingcentre.com


text:
Aurora Russia, an AIM-listed investment vehicle that backs small and mid-market Russian companies, has finally gained approval from the country’s central bank to take a 26 percent stake in money transfer business Unistream Bank.
The Central Bank of Russia has just approved Aurora’s request to increase its stake above the 20 percent mark, some eight months after the company originally agreed the deal. As a result, Aurora has bought an additional 8.3 percent stake for $6.4 million, taking its total holding in Unistream to 26 percent. It has now invested a total of $20 million in the business.
Unistream, which is largely based in Moscow, allows immigrants from the former Soviet republics to send money back from Russia to their families at home. The central bank has previously estimated this market to be worth somewhere between $3 and $6 billion, and Unistream is one of the biggest players – last year it transferred $1.85 billion.
Aurora said Unistream’s business was still growing rapidly – at the end of last month its monthly volumes hit $300 million, 90 percent up from the same time last year. Director John McRoberts said: “The Russian money transfer market continues to show extremely high rates of growth and is one of the fastest growing money transfer regions in the world. ”
Unistream was launched in 2001 as a division of UniAstrum, one of Russia’s biggest retail banks. UniAstrum decided last year to demerge the business and bring in Aurora as a professional investor, in preparation for a flotation some time in 2008. The bank still owns the remaining 74 percent of the business not owned by Aurora.
Aurora Russia listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market in March 2006, raising £75 million. So far, it has invested a total of £30.5 million across three deals.


text:
For more information about Abba House or to volunteer, contact (678) 208-2000.
An area nonprofit is holding the grand opening of its new thrift store location this weekend.
Abba House Inc., a long-term residential ministry for women battling addiction and mental health issues, has moved its popular store into the former Outdoor Traditions building at Ga. 400 and Hwy. 136 in Dawsonville.
The grand opening is set for 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"We've been working on this location for about four years, trying to get a lease on the building. It's a beautiful facility," said Jim Sharp, co-founder and executive director of Abba House.
"Right here on [Ga.] 400 is a great location. This was a successful operation previously, so we know it's a good location."
The grand opening will also include a fall festival, with a bounce house, face painting, pumpkin bowling and a hay slide, among others. Hot dogs, hambugers and a selection of fall treats like caramel apples, kettle corn and cotton candy will also be available free of charge, compliments of area churches and organizations.
Currently in its 13th year of operation in the area, Abba House has proved quite successful, with 93.8 percent of women avoiding a relapse and 100 percent remaining out of jail.
The organization previously operated a thrift store at Hammonds Crossing in northern Forsyth County and continues to manage its first thrift store on Hwy. 9 in Silver City near the Dawson-Forsyth County line.
"We're really excited about this," Sharp said. "... Hopefully, this opening will bring more exposure."
Abba House currently feeds about 100 families a month at its facility. According to Sharpe, the organization hopes to help more women transition back into society.
"Our thrift stores are run almost exclusively by the women in the program," he said.
By teaching work place skills, Abba House is providing those in their care a means to gain work experience and training.
"A lot of these women have never worked before," Sharp said. "When you are young, start using drugs and drop out of school, the only job you know is selling yourself or drugs.
"We're teaching them to do an honest day's work and we hope this can be a center where a lot of women can come and learn job skills."


text:
The Independent Show, slated for July 29-Aug. 1 at The Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. comes as the cable industry is in anything but the Happiest Place on Earth. Cord-cutters, cord-nevers and cord-shavers continue to chip away at traditional TV, while Wall Street is turning its attention to subscription video-on-demand companies like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. But some operators — especially small and midsized cable companies — are embracing OTT and SVOD competitors, bundling offerings with broadband service and a smattering of traditional video to retain customers on the cusp of leaving and hopefully drawing new ones in. National Cable Television Cooperative president Rich Fickle spoke with B&C about these issues and more. Edited excerpts follow.
What do you see as the biggest issues facing operators now? Is it more of the same — programming costs — or is there something new to worry about?
The issue is really the video pay TV model. At the heart of that is a couple of things: one of them is programming costs. The most top of mind for them is the last round of retrans, which resulted in super-high increases that most of these guys had to pass along to customers. It was a very painful retrans year for them. On the other side of it, you’re seeing demographics across the board shifting some or all of their viewing to other content sources. Operators now need to figure out, ‘Do you want to be just a carrier of that content through broadband or do you want to play a more instrumental role in fostering those services in a value-added player?’ A lot of what we are working on and talking to members about are those types of options and where they could choose to be more involved or less involved.
In-home WiFi is a really hot area because there are new developments with some of the leading partners, but also some new companies coming in. Home WiFi, to me, is kind of what the set-top used to be. It’s like the touchpoint to the consumer for a lot of services in the next three to five years.
You’ve seen a lot of smaller operators embrace OTT lately, offering access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and the like through their set-tops or via TiVo’s next-generation gateway. Is that where you see the business moving?
I do, and it’s not an overnight thing, but I think the model is kind of two broad paths. One is to start offering replacement packages that are OTT-driven — it could be Sony PlayStation [Vue], DirecTV Now, Philo TV — and it doesn’t have to be your whole base, it could be certain customer segments that see value in those types of choices versus what they offer locally. The other is additional content that is provided from the OTT side of the business, like Curiosity-Stream. We think there are maybe 12 to 15 really interesting brands out there that are good additions that provide diversity of content. But they’re SVOD models so they also provide notable revenue streams back to the cable operator. If you’re going to skinny down your traditional pay TV investment, this is a way to offer customers something new and also bolster the profitability of the business as you migrate toward all IP.
The Independent Show also is an opportunity for members to discuss the latest from Washington. What are the top legislative issues of concern?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like there is a solid game plan to resolve the [retransmission consent] pain from a legislative standpoint. The rationale of net neutrality is still an ongoing effort by the ACA folks and others; pole attachments in some parts of the country are still a barrier to expanding broadband. There are things on the antitrust side that are interesting — the appeal in the AT&T Time Warner case, we are very interested in understanding that and, if the opportunity allows, providing some input into it. The consolidation of large content companies like Disney and Fox, I think, has some risks and negative impact on the marketplace. Regulatory-wise, I think those are very important agendas for us to pay attention to. The FCC is taking a different look at the Sinclair-Tribune merger, based on things we’ve seen in the news in the last few days. I think that’s healthy.
More of this conversation will appear in the Independent Show Daily,produced by Multichannel News and distributed during the convention inAnaheim.
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below.
Thank you for signing up to Broadcasting & Cable. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.


text:
Prices range from $7,499 to $9,499. Shipping costs between $200 to $800. Fees. A 0.5% free on turnover if General Bytes's.
The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services Purchasing Managers’ index (PMI) Business Activity Index slumped.
Chesterfield Resources PLC climbed 7.7% to 2.1p following the release of its results for 2019. The gold project developer.
19 Dec 2016.
Current worldwide average bitcoin ATM fee is 8.4% for buying bitcoins from machines, and 5.4% for selling bitcoins for cash. Bitcoin ATM fees.
Track Bitcoin Usage Officielle Site Bitcoin Do not regret in 8 years as those who knew bitcoin in 2010 without acting, Money Transfer – Mobile Money and e-payments (invoices, e-commerce sites, etc .). Bitcoin Accessories Palace Bitcoin Custom Script (ptc Marcus Hutchins put
Marathon Patent Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA ) (“Marathon” or “Company”), today announced its operating results for the three mont.
Bitcoin Investment Trust Discount Or Premium To Nav (gbtc) 20 Feb 2018. It says that GBTC is not an ETF – it is a grantor trust. These typically trade at a premium or discount to its NAV. Michael Sonnenshein, managing director of Grayscale Investments, basically said the same thing
22 Jul 2018.
There are at least FIVE submissions of random ATM pictures on the front page. We get it. Bitcoin ATMs exist, and they appear to be rather common. At this point.
Irish companies providing cryptocurrency services say they are being refused banking services because a new EU directive has.
China’s sovereign digital currency could be launched later this year, with the likes of Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat.
According to a new report by Luno and Arcane Research the economic landscape across the continent augurs well for.
Officielle Site Bitcoin Do not regret in 8 years as those who knew bitcoin in 2010 without acting, Money Transfer – Mobile Money and e-payments (invoices, e-commerce sites, etc .). Bitcoin Accessories Palace Bitcoin Custom Script (ptc Marcus Hutchins put a stop to


text:
Perth’s city centre retail landscape saw a shake-up this week with businesses opening, moving and shutting up shop.
The continuing popularity of The Green Room in Canal Crescent has seen the business announce a second city centre location.
A restaurant, nightclub and gin and cocktail bar ‘The Venue’ will open in May in St John’s Square.
Owner Frank Burger-Seed says the emphasis will be on “quality not quantity”.
He revealed: “It’s the sort of place I’d want to go to for a night out.
“We’ll have some comedy - maybe even a house dance band - and we’re aiming for about 100 people in the nightclub on a Saturday.”
He added: “As I get older, I don’t want to to go out and be surrounded by people who are so drunk they can hardly stand up! And I don’t want to wait two hours in a queue to get a drink at a bar.”
The downstairs lounge will stock over 200 varieties of gin, and the restaurant will focus on local produce. Frank added: “It’ll be a seasonal Scottish menu, with everything fresh and nothing frozen.
Sadly, Jannetta’s Gellateria has announced that it will close its doors for the last time today.
Owen Hazel, co-owner of the George Street ice-cream parlour told the PA: “After a lot of consideration, it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision not to renew our lease and close down our Perth outlet.
“Unfortunately, the combination of insufficient footfall in George Street and high rates proved too challenging and gave us little option but to close.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their loyal support and invite them to visit us at our St Andrews branch.
“As a thriving family business, we are very much open to new opportunities and would not rule out exploring alternative premises elsewhere in the future.”
Meanwhile, a brand new California-style vape store The Vapour Lounge has opened in the heart of Perth high street.
The independent family run business owned by two cousins, has expanded fast in two years from one small store in Edinburgh to having five jam packed stores across the country.


text:
Lebanon pirates 70 percent of its software
BEIRUT: The software piracy rate in Lebanon remained nearly unchanged in 2015 at 70 percent compared to 71 percent in 2013, according to the U.S.-based Business Software Alliance, as reported by Lebanon This Week, an economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.
“BSA estimated the software piracy rate in Lebanon at 70 percent in 2015 compared to 71 percent in 2013 and 2011 and 72 percent in 2009 placing the country [at] the 37th highest piracy level among 111 countries worldwide and the sixth highest among 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region,” the Lebanon This Week article said.
Also, Lebanon had the 14th highest piracy rate among 32 upper middle-income countries, or UMICs, included in the survey, the report said.
The survey covered operating systems, systems software such as databases and security packages, business applications and consumer applications such as games and personal finance and reference software.
The report added that globally, Lebanon’s software piracy rate was similar to that of China, and was higher than rates in Argentina (69 percent), Thailand (69 percent) and Ecuador (68 percent) and lower than rates in Albania (73 percent), Kazakhstan (73 percent) and Panama (72 percent).
“Further, Lebanon’s piracy rate was similar to that of China, and came higher than rates in Thailand and Ecuador and lower than rates in Kazakhstan and Panama among UMICs,” it said.
“Lebanon’s software piracy rate was significantly higher than the global rate of 39 percent and the Middle East and Africa rate of 57 percent. Zimbabwe and Libya had the highest piracy rates in the world at 90 percent each and the United States had the lowest rate at 17 percent in 2015, while Libya had the highest piracy rate and South Africa the lowest rate at 33 percent in 2015 among UMICs,” it added.
The bank’s report said that piracy rates in the MENA region increased in two countries, regressed in 12 economies and were unchanged in three countries from 2013.
It said that software piracy-related losses in Lebanon totaled $65 million in 2015, unchanged from 2013 and compared to losses of $52 million in 2011 and $46 million in 2009. “As such, Lebanon posted the 72nd highest piracy-related dollar losses worldwide, the 22nd highest losses among the UMICs and the 10th highest losses in the MENA region,” it said.
“Globally, Lebanon’s piracy-related dollar losses were similar to those in Libya, and came higher than those in El Salvador ($63 million), Oman ($59 million) and Uruguay ($57 million), and lower than losses in Belarus ($76 million), Qatar ($72 million) and New Zealand ($66 million). Its losses were similar to those in Libya, and came higher than losses in Serbia, Tunisia, Jordan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Macedonia, Albania, Mauritius and Montenegro among UMICs; while they were similar to losses in Libya and higher than those in Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain and Yemen regionally,” it added.
The report said that Lebanon accounted for 0.1 percent of global losses.


text:
Feed systems consisting of high quality nutrients promote healthy, peak-performing animals, higher carcass weights and leaner meats. Proper nutrient management also controls your operating costs.
Nutrition and cost control will be explained in Cargill’s “Are You Feeding the ‘Right’ Ingredients?” seminar during the 2010 World Pork Expo, June 9–11 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kevin Touchette and Ken Mooney, nutritionists at Cargill, along with Bob Taubert, managing producer of New Horizon Farms in southwestern Minnesota, will explain the importance and impacts of nutrient measurement systems. “Our discussion will revolve around a proven process used throughout the world today that translates available ingredients into nutrient supplies,” says Touchette.
“Feed ingredients are like fingerprints,” says Mooney. “At first glance, they appear to look alike. But when closely examined, their unique properties are revealed.”
Cargill tests the ingredients provided by suppliers to determine the nutrients’ quality. Cargill’s AutoCalc system evaluates the fat, fiber and amino acids in raw ingredients to determine the optimal usage in feed systems, allowing Cargill to work with pork producers to create customized feed programs that help optimize production efficiency.
“Nutrient testing allows producers to predict and improve the growth, feed conversion and pork production within their herds,” Touchette explains. “It also helps producers select the finest ingredients so they can purchase fewer raw materials without compromising the nutritional value of their feed formulas.”
To learn more about nutrient testing, attend the Cargill-sponsored seminar held at WPX on Thursday, June 10. The session will take place from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Varied Industries Building, Room B on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Producers can pre-register for WPX at www.worldpork.org. Admission is $5 in advance or $15 at the gate. Attendees are encouraged to sign-up for the REMIND ME text message service to receive notification about all the educational seminars and events going on during Expo.
To learn more, visit the World Pork Expo Online Resource Center


text:
Featuring a wraparound cover and 1 page comic by Paul Pope!
The latest full color issue of DIAMOND is at the printers right now and is due to arrive this Wednesday, April 13. Like the previous issue, we’ve teamed up with the Portland Mercury for distribution. 5000 copies will be included as a FREE insert in the 4/14 issue of the Mercury coming out next week.
We’re holding onto 1000 copies which will be sold at the store and through distributors like Last Gasp, Tony Shenton, Copacetic… Orders may also be placed directly by emailing jason (at) floatingworldcomics (dot) com.
28 pages, FC, 10.25″ x 13.5″, unbound newsprint, $4
Awesome contributor list for DIAMOND 6:


text:
Oyo Hotels and Homes Ltd. CEO Ritesh Agarwal, one of the country’s youngest billionaires, shared a tweet from his official Twitters account on Tuesday. In the tweet, the entrepreneur offers a little piece of advice for his fellow contemporaries and aspiring entrepreneurs alike. The 27-year-old CEO, who started his business journey with Oyo stated that in his initial days, around 80 per cent of the venture capitalists that he approached rejected his company. The tweet read, “During my early days at OYO, nearly 80% of the VCs I wrote to rejected me. As an entrepreneur, you are going to face rejection most of the time, get used to it. But the few moments where people are willing to give you time, are the ones that matter. Make the most of them.”
He took to social media to inform his fellow entrepreneurs to be patient in their business ventures as the majority of the journey consists of rejections. Agarwal had started Oyo before he even turned 20-years-old. By 2018 the company had raised its first $1 billion from Japan’s SoftBank Vision Fund as well as other investors. Within six years of establishment, the company had earned the elusive Unicorn status.
Recently, the chain of hotels and homes had been hit hard by the pandemic and the employees were some of the worst affected by this. The lockdown brought to light the stress that existing labour laws put on workers in the tourism industry. To compensate for this, in May of 2021, Oyo came out with a four-day work-week for all of its employees. Oyo also rolled out unlimited paid leaves for its employees till the month of July.
In Early April of 2020, when the pandemic was raging through the country, the entire executive leadership team took a voluntary pay-cut that ranged from 25 to 50 per cent. For the entirety of the year, even Agarwal chose to forego on 100 per cent of his salary. During the initial 21-day lockdown that took place, the 10,000 plus OYOpreneurs on payrolls along with tens of thousands of OYO managed assets staff continued to receive their salaries with benefits.
Recommended For You
In a letter to employees in January of 2020, the CEO of the hotel chain said, “One of the implications of the new strategic objectives for 2020, is that, like the leadership team, we will reorganise more teams across businesses and functions. As a result, we are asking some of our impacted colleagues to move to a new career outside of Oyo.”
On Friday, the hospitality unicorn managed to raise debt funds worth $660 million from its global institutional investors, one of which was Fidelity Investments. Oyo raised this funding via the term B loan (TLB) route. The company intends to put these funds to use by strengthening its balance sheet as well as investing in product technology. The offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and it also received commitments of close to $1 billion from the leading institutional investors, a PR Newswire press release said.
Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO, said “We are delighted by the response to OYO’s maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO’s mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe. This is a testament to the strength and success of OYO’s products at scale, our strong fundamentals and high-value potential. OYO is well capitalized and on the path of achieving profitability. Our two largest markets have demonstrated profitability at the slightest signs of industry recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here


text:
Apple will offer a beta program to bet mgs users that use a bet app, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Betmgm will offer bet mg apps that use the Apple beta app, the WSJ said.
Apple said on Tuesday that betmgm was offering betmgs beta app through its website, with the bet app launching with the beta program in September.
Apple is offering bet mg as a paid service and a free beta app.
The beta program allows betmgms users to make money by betting on sports, stock markets, and more, Apple said.
The betmg’s beta app is available for iOS and Android, but betmg said its app is not available for other platforms, including the Mac.
The WSJ also said Apple will also offer betmgmt’s app, which offers more betmg-like features, and betmgmg’s iOS and Mac versions.
Apple’s betmg app is designed to be used in conjunction with betmg, a bet site operated by a group of people that makes money betting on sporting events, tech, and other financial products.
The companies first betmg service launched in 2007.
Apple and bet mgmt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Apple betmgtmt, the group behind betmg.com, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.


text:
Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers
Changes are afoot! Supermarket News is releasing its annual Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers list today, and this year’s ranking reflects several shifts with more on the horizon. It’s important for retail RDs to think globally and be aware of important movement and change with the industry’s largest players. See what’s happening!


text: 3-D television is going to be the next big thing, and it's going to be here sooner than you think. If SONY is expecting to sell $11.2 BILLION of 3-D televisions in 2013, then 3-D televisions will be popping up VERY soon. Sony CEO revealed this information at Sony's earnings report to investors early this morning. Additoinally, he said that PlayStation game console 3-D game development is already under way and will be growing rapidly. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Sony-...tml?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode= What does this mean for Apple TV ? Any ideas?


text:
The Deacom team is pleased to announce the release of version 17.00! This milestone release includes enhancements, improvements, and bug fixes that give Deacom customers a polished, seamless user-experience. Customers can now update their software to this Final version and begin using 17.00 right away. Here are a few highlighted enhancements associated with this release. …
ECI’s Deacom ERP Named a Food Logistics 2022 Top Software & Technology Provider
ECI honored as an industry leader in ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable global food and beverage supply chains FORT WORTH, TX—Dec. 13, 2022 — ECI Software Solutions (ECI), a leader in cloud-based business management solutions, today announced that its Deacom Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software for process manufacturers and distributors has been named a winner …
Continue reading “ECI’s Deacom ERP Named a Food Logistics 2022 Top Software & Technology Provider”
ECI’s Deacom ERP Completes TEC Certification, Dominant in Five Areas
Technology Evaluation Centers finds that Deacom stacks up favorably against the biggest names in the business FORT WORTH, TX, November 7, 2022 – ECI Software Solutions, a leader in cloud-based business management solutions, today announced that its Deacom® Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for process manufacturers and distributors has successfully completed the Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) Certification …
Continue reading “ECI’s Deacom ERP Completes TEC Certification, Dominant in Five Areas”
What it Means to be Part of ECI Software Solutions
Deacom and ECI Software Solutions joined forces in the fall of 2021. As Deacom becomes the company’s global platform for batch and process manufacturers, customers will also leverage additional resources for cloud innovation and internationalization.
ECI Software Solutions Acquires Deacom
ECI Software Solutions has acquired Deacom, Inc., a provider of ERP software for batch and process manufacturers.
Deacom Surpasses Industry Expectations with TEC Certification
Technology Evaluation Centers ranks Deacom’s ERP platform at or near 100% across six categories, underscoring its performance against competitors in this TEC certification report.
Deacom Takes Home First Top Workplaces USA Award from Energage
In the inaugural year for Top Workplaces USA, Deacom, Inc takes home the award which is based solely on employee feedback.


text:
Despite a dismal second quarter, one of Wall Street's most closely followed media analysts says Netflix still has plenty of upside.
"It's had its volatility, but where is the business going? People are cutting the cord," which suggests a major secular tailwind for Netflix in the years ahead, BTIG's Rich Greenfield said Tuesday on CNBC's "Fast Money."
It also suggests that competition concerns may be overstated.
"When you cut $80 down to $40 or even to nothing, there's a lot of money to go around that you're going to spend on HBO Go, that you're going to spend on Hulu, that you're going to spend on Netflix," he said.
However, in a nod to the potential headwinds, Greenfield reduced his firm's price target from $150 to $130, while maintaining his buy rating. Netflix fell more than 13 percent Tuesday, closing at $85.84.
The slash in the projected price came as "we took down our subscriber targets, which was prudent given the amount of the miss," Greenfield said.
Indeed, Netflix notably failed to meet expectations for domestic and international user growth. Globally, the service only gained 1.7 million subscribers versus expectations of 2.5 million. In the U.S., only 160,000 subscribers signed up, which was a far cry from expectations for 532,000.
Greenfield believes the shaky sign-up numbers are not enough to derail long-term global growth.
"Quarterly subscriber volatility is nothing new to Netflix, nor are management excuses that are often difficult to digest," Greenfield said in his most recent coverage letter.
Indeed, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings tried to reassure investors during Monday's video conference that the company was still "growing, but not as fast as we would like or have been."
Added Hastings: "Disrupting a big market can be bumpy, but the opportunity ahead is as big as ever."
That message did little to calm investors' fears; Netflix had its worst day since 2014 on Tuesday, as shares plunged 14 percent. Year-to-date, shares are down nearly 25 percent.
Despite low subscriber numbers and increased development costs, Greenfield remains undeterred in Netflix's potential as the top streaming service in the world.
"Despite the continued subscriber volatility vs. investor expectations, the question remains, is Netflix poised for meaningful global growth over the next several years? We remain confident they are," Greenfield wrote.
Not everyone is bullish on Netflix. Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter's 12-month price target is $50 a share.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns CNBC parent NBCUniversal, is a co-owner of Hulu.


text:
Digital TV News: Futuresource
Brazil's video market picks up the pace
Mar 18, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, Brazil’s video entertainment market has emerged from the shadow of recession. New SVoD services from global players and increased investment in pay TV and OTT services by local media companies are seen as the key drivers.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Brazil, Digital TV, Market Research
Service stacking shows consumers not yet suffering from service fatigue
Mar 18, 2020 – More than half of all SVOD users who subscribe to three or more services will purchase additional services this year, according to Futuresource Consulting. Service stacking is becoming commonplace across many countries worldwide.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Europe, Market Research, OTT, USA
Local players fighting SVOD giants in India
Mar 12, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, by the end of the year, India will have the third most SVOD subscribers of any country worldwide, after China and the USA, and is predicted to reach 95 million in 2023.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Tristan Veale, Digital TV, India, Market Research, OTT
Polish consumer video spend on track for 25% growth
Mar 3, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, Poland’s SVoD market continues to power through a growth curve, with spend closing in on PLN1 billion at the close of 2019, as the Netflix subscriber base increased to 1.6 million.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Tristan Veale, Digital TV, Market Research, Poland
German video entertainment market approaching €10 billion in 2020
Mar 3, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, 2019 was a defining year for the German TV and video market, with mass market resistance to premium digital video finally falling away and paving the way for next month’s launch of Disney+.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Germany, Market Research
SVOD to capture 95% of Netherlands home video spend by 2023
Mar 3, 2020 – Futuresource’s latest video insights shows that SVOD in the Netherlands accounted for more than 80% of total home video consumer spend in 2019 and close to 15% of overall entertainment spend including Pay-TV and Box Office.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Margherita Grosso, Digital TV, Market Research, Netherlands, OTT
Australian SVOD poised to break billion-dollar AU$ barrier
Oct 15, 2019 – Australia’s TV and video market is on track to achieve a second consecutive year of growth in 2019, with consumer spend set to grow by 4%, according to Futuresource Consulting. Despite the continuing upsurge, key components are experiencing wildly varying fortunes.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Australia, Digital TV, Market Research
Futuresource Consulting expects upturn in French TV and video spending
Aug 27, 2019 – Total video entertainment consumer spend is expected to exceed €7 billion this year, making France the third largest video entertainment market in Europe, according to the latest video insights report from Futuresource Consulting.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Tristan Veale, Digital TV, France, Market Research, OTT
SVOD offsets fall in pay TV revenues in Italy
Aug 20, 2019 – 2019 is expected to be a stellar year for both SVOD and Box Office, offsetting a lacklustre year for transactional home video and Pay-TV markets, according to the latest Italian video insights market report from Futuresource Consulting.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Tristan Veale, Digital TV, Italy, Market Research, OTT
- Kaltura to migrate Cellcom TV to the Cloud
- Smart Home device market remains resilient despite pandemic
- Roku OS 9.4 to begin roll out to Roku devices
- Armstrong secures VOD launch with Verimatrix
- Global SVOD revenue to grow to $100 billion
- Amazon announces new Fire TV devices and redesigned UX
- ENENSYS announces ATSC 3.0 head end for hybrid delivery
- 605 signs measurement and analytics deal with Walmart
- AdLedger pilots OTT video ad deployment using blockchain
- VR market to grow despite pandemic blow to location-based segment
- Graham Media renews with Comscore for TV measurement
- 317 million SVOD subscriptions for the U.S. in 2025
- Clearcable adds Minerva Networks IPTV platform to offering
- BARB issues invitation to tender for five contracts
- Amino helps Colsecor add SENSA OTT to legacy set-top boxes
- 3SS provides technology for STINGTV app from Yes
- Discovery acquires assets of adtech start-up AdSparx
- SimulTV picks Limelight Edge services for global video delivery
- U.S. pay TV suffers historic cord-cutting
- SpotX unveils programmatic solutions for linear Addressable TV


text:
Russian e-commerce giant Ozon has announced the establishment of an operating company in Belarus, Ozon Rocket Bel LLC, with which it is aiming to 'scale up business and expand its logistics infrastructure in the country'.
The group plans to open a distribution centre in Belarus this year, while it is also planning an 'exponential increase' in the number of pick up points it offers in the country.
While Ozon already sells products in Belarus, to date it has relied on local delivery structures, rather than its own infrastructure.
The group has also announced the appointment of two managers for the Belarus market, Maxim Ganush and Sergei Chileko, who previously worked for Lamoda and Europost.
“Belarus is a strategically important region for Ozon," commented Stanislav Kondratyev, director of logistics and customer service at Ozon. "The company has already developed a loyal customer base here, but we believe there is enormous potential to increase that base. With that in mind, we continue to consistently improve the experience of our Belarusian customers."
Kondratyev added that Belarusian shoppers will now have access to almost the entire range of products offered by Ozon, as well as being able to avail of the Ozon Premium loyalty programme and additional delivery services.
"We also intend to help Belarusian manufacturers sell their goods to Ozon’s Russian customers – and in Russia 85 million people have access to our delivery service," he said.
The platform has also launched a shopfront in Belarusian roubles, to make it easier for local customers to shop.
Separately, Ozon recently announced the opening of a new logistics and fulfilment hub in Siberia.


text:
Caplena, Swiss AI-Powered Analytics Solution, Raises 7-Figures in Seed Funds, Elevating Company Valuation to 10M
- Caplena uses AI to analyze large volumes of free text from reviews or responses, making data analysis quick and efficient.
- The startup has announced that it has closed its very first financing round after raising 7-figures in seed money.
- It will utilize these funds towards sales and marketing, as well as expanding core technology, such as customer feedback analysis automation
“We’ve been fans of bootstrapping because it gave us the freedom to focus on the core technology and AI without too much external pressure. Now we’re ready to bring our product to the global stage.” – says Maurice, Co-Founder at Caplena.
As of today, Caplena is actively used by 100 customers in 15 countries around the globe and has been able to double its customer base every year. Market researchers, consultants and insights professionals – from startups to Fortune 500 companies worldwide – rely on Caplena as their primary source to analyze customer feedback of all sorts for a wide array of industries. What sets Caplena apart is its flexible and highly accurate AI, packaged into an easy-to-use self-service tool. This enables text analysis at the level of a fully manual analysis at a fraction of the cost and time. Most recently, Caplena has been working on a complete revamp of its AI engine to automatically identify topics and assign them to individual customer comments including the respective sentiment towards each topic. With these new developments under its belt, as well as the necessary funds, Caplena is looking to help mid – to large sized companies better understand their customers.


text:
The rise of EVs is bad news for Canada’s battered oil industry
Opinion | by Gillian Steward
Electric cars are having a moment.
There are only a few on the road compared to gas guzzlers, but recent predictions by reliable sources see battery powered vehicles becoming the rage much sooner than had been expected.
Since these sedans, SUVs, and possibly pickup trucks will be powered by electricity instead of gasoline what will that mean for the regions in Canada that produce oil from which gasoline is made? Less demand for oil means prices stay flat or go down, investment dries up, employment sags, provincial treasuries accrue fewer taxes and royalties.
New technology that people can afford and is useful to them can become common place in a relatively short time. The iPhone is so ubiquitous now we can hardly remember what life was like before we spent most of our time looking at little screens.
Will we be able to adjust to a surge in electric vehicle sales quickly enough?
In Norway, where all electricity is produced by hydro and the winters require cars with strong, reliable batteries, electric vehicles already account for almost one third of new car sales
On a Sunday, July 9 Tesla showed off its first battery-powered car priced for middle income buyers rather than the super wealthy. Tesla already has 370,000 pending orders and is planning to produce 20,000 cars a month by December.
The Tuesday before, Volvo announced that starting in 2019, every new model the Swedish automaker releases will run at least in part on electric power.
Volkswagen plans to introduce 30 electric plug-in models and hopes to sell one million of them by 2025. Volkswagen will also be producing electric vehicles in China where sales are growing at a much faster rate than in Europe or the U.S.
Bloomberg, a business and financial news network with a heady reputation, is incredibly bullish on the future of electric vehicles. In a recent report, it concluded that EVs will make up 54 per cent of new car sales by the year 2040.
“Tumbling battery prices mean that EVs will have lower lifetime costs, and will be cheaper to buy, than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars in most countries by 2025-29,” the report reported.
That’s only eight years from now. Is Big Oil ready for this? Or do they have their blinders on? And what are the federal and provincial governments preparing to do in the face of declining tax and royalty revenues?
Exxon Mobil expects plug-in sales to grow slowly and have little impact on global consumption of oil. But an executive at Royal Dutch Shell is predicting demand for oil could peak in as little as five years.
Gasoline and diesel will still be needed for long-haul trucking, air planes, rail, and shipping. But since transportation accounts for 24 per cent of carbon emissions in Canada (second only to the oil and gas sector), significantly increasing the number of EVs here and in other parts of the world will reduce both carbon emissions and the demand for oil by refineries that produce gasoline.
Lower demand means the price of a barrel of oil will stay flat, which will hurt oilsands producers because it costs them more to recover a barrel of oil than other producers.
And then there’s the question of pipelines. Do we really need so many new ones if demand for oil is going to take a dive?
Of course, at this point the growth of the electric car market, how fast it will be, and what impact it will have on our consumption of fossil fuels is all speculation. No one knows for sure how all this will turn out. But it’s a trend that’s can’t be easily discounted.
Perhaps one day in the not-too-distant future, gas guzzlers will be viewed as simply distasteful. Just as many non-smokers today look down on those who still puff away.
It’s a cultural shift that not many would have predicted 25 years ago. But some things have a way of catching on with people.
And electric cars may be next. ❧
Gillian Steward is a Calgary writer and former managing editor of the Calgary Herald. This column originally appeared in the Toronto Star.


text:
LOS ANGELES — Unified Grocers here expects sales to remain “basically flat” for the year, Al Plamann, president and chief executive officer, told shareholders last week at the cooperative's annual meeting.
He said sales in the first quarter, which ended Jan. 2, were “soft, but improving.” Net income for the 13-week quarter fell 4.5% to $3.7 million, and sales declined 4.3% to $999.8 million.
Following the meeting, Unified elected Richard Goodspeed as its chairman — the first time in the history of Unified or its predecessor company, Certified Grocers of California, that a non-shareholder has been elected to the position.
He succeeds Richard Wright, president of Market of Choice, Portland, Ore.
Goodspeed, the principal at Godspeed & Associates here and a member of Unified's board since 2007, spent 45 years as a retailer before retiring in 1998, during which time he was president and CEO of Vons Cos. prior to its merger with Safeway, and president and chief operating officer of American Stores Co., parent of Lucky, where he worked for 37 years.
He also spent four years with A&P, including a year as president of its Family Mart operation.
Industry sources told SN Goodspeed's background “made him an attractive candidate to lead Unified's members through this business environment.”
Unified also boosted the size of its board by one, to 20 directors, and elected Mimi Song, president and CEO of Superior Markets here.
Looking back at the financial results, Unified said it attributed the sales decrease to the general economic conditions, including a shift in demand toward lower-cost items. In addition, the company noted that, because sales tend to slow down in the last week of the calendar year, the end of this year's first quarter on Jan. 2, compared with the year-end date of Dec. 27 for the year-ago quarter, resulted in a sales decline of $12.4 million for the quarter.
That drop was partially offset by additional sales of $8.7 million in Unified's specialty foods subsidiary, the company added.
“While net earnings were off slightly, our performance is right where we thought we would be at this point in time,” Plamann said. “If the economy continues to show signs of stabilizing throughout the year, we believe Unified and our independent retailers will perform well this year.”
He said some stabilizing factors are becoming more apparent. “While consumers continue to spend cautiously, our sales during the holiday season reflected an improvement over recent trends, and for the most part, our independent retailers are right in sync with this shift.”


text:
The recent spurt in diesel price has hit the transport vehicle sector and industries relying on this petroleum product for operations. This coming at a time when the international petroleum prices are at their lowest, to which our domestic prices are linked. There has been a sharp hike in the domestic price because both the central and state governments, like Delhi, are trying to shore up revenue.
D.K. Srivastava, Chief Policy Advisor, EY India, points out that due to Covid-19 lockdown direct and indirect taxes are hardly contributing any revenue to the exchequer. “Petroleum is the only source through which some revenue can be grabbed,” says Srivastava, adding that once revenue collection improves in a couple of months, the prices of petroleum products could be eased.


text:
After a stellar year at retail, legwear manufacturers are prepping for another strong fall season by tuning into runway trends and thinking outside the box.
Metallics, layered knits and chunky sweaters are a few fall ready-to-wear looks that have inspired the season's legwear collections. Well-aware that hosiery is no longer a simple accessory, legwear brands are creating innovative styles and exhibiting confidence and momentum that retailers are readily buying into.
"Fall tights are huge," said Mimi Merkin, legwear designer director for Hue. "We've had double-digit increases for months and months starting from last fall, continuing into spring 2007 and into this fall. The runway coverage has been great. Legwear is now meant to be noticed, where in the past, it was meant to be invisible."
Ann Watson, vice president and fashion director for Henri Bendel, said, "The runway has revitalized the legwear business. Designers have re-embraced the leg with more energy and creativity, which created more of an assortment for fall. Legwear has become more diversified and novel as a fashion item."
Legwear companies such as Hue and Calvin Klein's cK label are cashing in on the layered trend by incorporating legwarmers and over-the-knee socks into their offerings.
"Legwarmers are up about 200 percent," Merkin said. "This fall is the first time it's really being bought as a trend and buyers are open to buying more styles. One used to be enough, now we can do several. Over-the-knees also went up several hundred percent."
"We're referring to it as leg decor," said Michele Slade, vice president of sales and marketing for American Essentials Inc., which produces legwear for brands such as cK Calvin Klein and Michael Kors. "It's taking that little extra thing, like thigh highs, and scrunching them down to do a boot-topper with a miniskirt. It's a cool, edgy way to wear things. In every fashion magazine I pick up, any shoot has tons of layered legwear. It's so encouraging after years of a bare-leg look."
Legwear designer Hannah Byun of the emerging label Hansel from Basel has also struck gold on funky thigh highs and over-the-knees, picking up select retailers such as Barneys New York, Anthropologie and Opening Ceremony for fall.
Issa Rae stopped by WWD's NYC headquarters to talk about season two of "Insecure," which premieres this Sunday on HBO. Click link in bio for all the details. #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery; Styled by @mayteallende)
A Stella McCartney sketch of a custom dress made from protein-based silk in partnership with biotech lab Bolt Threads. The dress will be displayed at The Museum of Modern Art's upcoming design exhibition, "Items: Is Fashion Modern?"


text:
We need to understand the difference between U.K. and U.S. English, as mistakes may prove costly, says Allyson Stewart-Allen, CEO of International Marketing Partnership.
GlaxoSmithKline says Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened a formal criminal investigation into its commercial practices.
Chinese police have charged several former GlaxoSmithKline employees as the British drug maker is accused of evading million in Chinese taxes.
Arik Hesseldahl, Re/code senior editor, discusses the $9 billion class-action suit filed over poaching pacts made by tech giants. We should be operating in as free a market as possible, says Hesseldahl.
From layoffs to budget cuts, bad news is a nearly daily occurrence but delivering it is one of the hardest things for leaders. Here are 10 tips.
Companies can't just react to catastrophes like extreme weather or the financial crisis—they need to be proactive. Here are four tips.
Gah! For all the gender equality progress we’ve made, it turns out that a woman having a business dinner with a man still raises a few eyebrows.
Amid Libor probes big banks are considering banning traders from online chat rooms seen by regulators as venues for collusion and market manipulation.
Georg Kell, United Nations Global Compact, talks about the role of business in society, as well as the role it has to play in supporting peace around the globe.
CNBC's Kayla Tausche reports the news organization has released an in-depth report on its practices of reporting on clients using its expensive terminals on Wall Street.
CNBC's Eunice Yoon takes a look at China's off-the-balance-sheet loans, which are at the heart of the country's $6 trillion shadow banking industry.
I do not see JPMorgan charged criminally, that's "completely off the table," says Jacob Frenkel, Schulman Rogers, discussing the Justice Department's investigation into JPMorgan's energy business.
Jacob Frenkel, Schulman Rogers partner, discusses reports the U.S. government is looking into whether JPMorgan hired the children of Chinese officials to help boost its business in China.
China detained and questioned an executive of GlaxoSmithKline, amid an ongoing bribery investigation, reports CNBC's Eunice Yoon.
Federal agents raided 14 "7-Eleven" stores on Long Island as part of an investigation into "human smuggling." CNBC's Andrea Day, offers insight and the "Street Signs" crew reacts.
7-Eleven franchisees are charged with identity theft and money laundering, reports CNBC's Andrea Day. The 7-Eleven owners created a "modern-day plantation system" according to the U.S. Attorney.
Chad Moutray, National Association of Manufacturers chief economist, explains how an unfavorable export climate is impeding the creation of manufacturing jobs.
Ted Leonsis, Revolution Growth Fund partner, explains how the business world could benefit from revolutionizing its ideas and practices.
Eugene Goldman, McDermott Will & Emery partner; and Dennis Berman, Wall Street Journal, discuss how the SEC's decision will impact the way information is distributed.
Anders Nissan, Pandox CEO, explains why the current hotel business model is in need of a major overhaul.


text:
“Market sources” tell WWD that Requiem designer Raffaele Borriello will likely succeed Maxime Simoens at Leonard — despite neither Simoens or Leonard offering comment on the subject. Requiem recently shut down production, apparently after losing its financial backing. WWD previously reported Simoens planned to leave Leonard after the label’s fall 2012 show, potentially for the job at Dior — speculation the designer has repeatedly refuted.
French designer Maxime Simoens acknowledges the crowd at the end of his Spring/Summer 2012 Haute Couture collection show, on January 25, 2012 in Paris. Photo: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/Getty Images


text:
TCBY, (The Country's Best Yogurt), the world's original frozen yogurt brand, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the brand continuing to expand rapidly and thrive as communities reopen amid the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. With 12 new U.S. locations opened in the past year and six additional locations set to open in the coming months, TCBY leads the frozen yogurt market in nutrition, taste and new product innovation.
This summer, TCBY will open a new drive-thru in St. Augustine, Florida, a new self-serve store in Bayonne, New Jersey, focused on catering with a late-night walk-up window, and a counter-service store in Navarre, Florida, that will appeal strongly to tourists. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, TCBY will also be announcing a variety of sweet summer deals, including a magical, color-changing bowl for $1 available across all locations nationally while supplies last.
"This anniversary is a significant milestone for TCBY, and the success of the brand has only been possible because of our loyal fans, dedicated franchisees and team," says Nelson Tejada, Chief Executive Officer of Famous Brands International. "We are grateful for continued customer support which has helped us expand to new locations in the past year and we are looking forward to bringing the brand to new locations and connecting with new customers."
TCBY first opened in 1981 in Arkansas and the brand quickly became a destination for great tasting, healthy frozen desserts. A trailblazer of "FroYo," TCBY is the only franchise to offer both soft-serve and hand-scooped frozen yogurt with most of the flavors low in fat, nonfat or sugar-free.
Delicious products and customer satisfaction remain at the forefront of TCBY's business model. The brand continues to innovate its delicious, healthier-for-you desserts and open unique and welcoming locations to excite the brand's loyal customers and attract new ones.


text:
Today’s arrival of the 3.60 PS3 software patch may have won more headlines for its introduction of cloud game save storage, but its effects may have a far larger impact.
Digital Foundry reports that the patch also seems to close the security loopholes that have opened the console up to piracy.
The platform holder has effectively cut the console’s root key out of the loop. It was the publication of the root key earlier this year that opened the door to all the problems.
"For now, it looks to me (at first glance) that the PS3 has been re-secured, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be broken again from scratch," a hacker, who was the creator of PSJailbreak rival PSFreedom, has reportedly stated.
It’s thought that the only way to bypass the new measures will be to start from the ground up. And considering the PS3 remained secured for the best part of four years, that could be a long wait.


text:
A piece of jewellery inspired by the red kite and a special drink influenced by one of the region’s most famous poets are some of the unique gifts and merchandise created to raise funds and awareness about the National Eisteddfod’s visit to Ceredigion in 2020.
Trafferth mewn Tafarn is one of 14th century poet, Dafydd ap Gwilym’s most iconic poems, and the title is now becoming relevant and famous again as the name of a brand new gin which has been distilled and bottled by the Trefeurig appeal committee, in aid of next year’s festival.
Sara Gibson explains how the project developed, and says, “We were discussing how to raise money for the Eisteddfod, and we were obviously aware of the links with Dafydd ap Gwilym so we thought how we could build on this link. His most famous poem is Trafferth mewn Tafarn, and we started discussing how we could create our own drink.
“We looked at which relevant plants grow locally so we could create a unique drink, and then the work of distilling and bottling 400 bottles of the Trafferth mewn Tafarn gin began. We’ve taken so many pre-orders already that we may well have to create another batch.”
The 2020 Eisteddfod will be located near Tregaron, and one of the region’s most famous businesses is jeweller, Rhiannon Evans. She has got involved in the preparations for the festival by creating a beautiful piece of jewellery reflecting the red kite, which is one of the area’s most famous natural symbols. She says, “In our piece, Adar yr Orsedd, the red kite is seen circling the Gorsedd Stones. Visitors have been flocking to the area to see the red kite for some time, so considering the Eisteddfod's visit to the area next year, we created a special piece of jewellery combining the bird with one of the Eisteddfod's symbols.
"Available as a brooch, badge, earrings or cufflinks, £20 from every sale goes towards the Eisteddfod fund. The aim is to sell over 500 to the people of Ceredigion and further afield, to raise more than £10,000 towards the festival."
The local visitors experience committee has also been hard at work developing new ideas on how to raise awareness about the Eisteddfod within the county and further afield, according to chair, Deina Hockenhull.
“We are lucky that people have been developing a range of new ideas, which are not only unique but also very appealing. We’ll be unveiling our brand new t-shirts and hoodies before long, and they’ll be available to buy for the first time at the Proclamation Festival in Cardigan this Saturday, 29 June.
“The primary aim is to raise money, but it’s just as important to raise awareness and to continue with the fantastic enthusiasm across the county, as we look forward to hosting the Eisteddfod in 2020.”
Merchandise and gifts will be available from the National Eisteddfod website soon, www.eisteddfod.wales.
The Ceredigion National Eisteddfod is held near Tregaron from 1-8 August. For more information go online.


text:
The government has a new tool to help consumers avoid getting sister stamps from doctors, which they can’t legally do without a doctor’s signature.
The Affordable Care Act allows consumers to opt-out of any doctor’s order to prescribe a prescription to a patient.
But in some states, such as Florida, a doctor cannot legally order the prescription.
The law also requires doctors to submit copies of their own certificates of authorization and the patient’s medical records to the government.
Sister stamps are the first type of signature on prescription drugs that the government has made available to consumers, according to the American Pharmacists Association.
The agency says the new system is intended to reduce paperwork and make it easier for consumers to shop around.
A woman wears a sticker on her wrist that reads, “I need a sister stamp,” as she waits for an appointment at a pharmacy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 10, 2021.


text:
The company previously handled the activity in-house before inviting agencies to pitch for the project.
Shine is charged with increasing engagement with Cos' existing consumer audience, while attracting new customers to the brand.
Director Rose Hernu will lead the account.
The agency plans to develop a robust social strategy to maximise Cos' engagement with consumers across its global Facebook presence, ensuring the right tone of voice is implemented at all times.
Hernu will report to Atul Pathak, head of comms at Cos, who said: 'Shine demonstrated a clear understanding of our objectives and the importance of making sure we define Cos' behavioural and vocal tone around social media, while fiercely maintaining the brand identity and encouraging loyalty.'


text:
Makerbot unveils new Replicator – its next-gen 3D printer
Makerbot has recently taken the wraps off its new `Replicator 2' Desktop 3D Printer, which is the Brooklyn-based company's fourth-generation 3D printer, and has been fully-optimized for MakerBot's great-looking and odorless PLA filament that is derived from corn rather than petroleum.
Unveiling the new Replicator, Bre Prettis - CEO of MakerBot - said that the next-generation printer will be capable of produce professional-quality models; and will offer 100-micron layer resolution, along with a build volume of 410 cubic inches.
Further elucidating that the height of each layer of material will be 2.5 times finer in the Replicator 2 vis-a-vis the original Replicator's layer height, Prettis said that no post-production work or sanding will be required to help the items emerge.
With the volume of the build area of the new Replicator being 37 percent bigger than that of its predecessor, users will be able to save time by placing a complete project with multiple pieces on one single build plate; thus doing away with the need to use extremely expensive equipment.
Available for a price of $2,199 for the base version and $2,799 for a turbocharged version, the Replicator 2 - which does not need any assembly - also includes a software update to facilitate speedier and more consistent printing. The new Replicator printer is now available via the MakerBot website, and also from distributors and the company's new Houston Street flagship store in Manhattan.